Olivia de Havilland, sophisticated star of Hollywood's golden age, dies at 104 | Hacker News Reader

Olivia de Havilland, sophisticated star of Hollywood's golden age, dies at 104

hollywoodreporter.com

As a Go player, my favourite anecdote about Olivia de Havilland is that her father became so addicted to the game in Japan that his wife divorced him. He married a Japanese woman and went on to write the first Go book written in English.

Wikipedia and other sources seem to paint a darker tale.

> Lilian and Walter met in Japan in 1913 and married the following year; the marriage was not a happy one due in part to Walter's infidelities.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_de_Havilland#Early_life.

And apparently in his wife's own words

> spoke like God, but behaved like the Devil

from https://books.google.com/books?id=nmjetV92THsC&pg=PP1#v=onep...

It doesn't seem like Go was the reason for the divorce.

He was probably the first weaboo ever.

Wikipedia maintains a list of films now in the public domain. de Havilland's films are of the right age to be on the list, but don't appear to be. Most of the films on the list got there from failure to renew the copyright, a requirement which has since disappeared.

> Prior to 1988, all motion picture films published after 1909 with a copyright notice where the 28th year of copyright would occur before 1988, had to be registered and before the 28th year, the registration had to be renewed, or the copyright for the film would expire and it would enter the public domain. This would apply to all films registered for copyright prior to 1960. Copyright renewals became optional in 1988.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_in_the_public_do...

Deathlist 2020 [1] looks to overtake a 17/50 record set in 2017.

[1]: https://deathlist.net/

Wow. Imagine for a moment being a famous person of a certain age and making that list. As if strangers on the internet are betting on, almost plotting your demise.

Kirk Douglas was absolutely beating their expectations, finally dying this year only on his 18th appearance.

I think the list is interesting in a cultural sense, but I agree that the way it works is disturbing to say the least. Consider the discussion post for Phillip Mountbatten[0] for the kind of enlightened discussion the site hosts...

0: https://forums.deathlist.net/topic/8107-1-prince-philip-duke...

I don't think it bothers Philip. Members of his family have had worse than some harmless online haters. Some were killed by bombs [1], including 14 y.o. children.

[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Mountbatten,_1st_Earl_...

One strange thing about that forum is they keep the same threads year after year. So there is, for example, 11 pages of people rooting for Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death since 2009.

Discussions are indeed not very kind.

It's interesting to compare how these two are described:

Prince Philip - Casual racist

Henry Kissinger - Diplomat

Philip said some racist things, and Henry is only alive because the US doesn't let its citizens stand trial for war crimes. Henry going to hell this year would be a bright spot in an otherwise shitty year.

Not holding my breath for Henry, as the deal he signed with the Devil obviously made him immortal.

How strange to use the name Philip Mountbatten. It was surprisingly jarring to see that, when this person is almost always referred to as The Duke of Edinburgh.

Then I read your link and it made more sense. Name mangling is an amazingly powerful part of human culture, when exerting negative social pressure.

Separately, I am disappointed that the 1000 people more annoying than Mick Hucknall link, on the forum, is a 404.

Depending on your personality, and who else is on the list it might help you soldier on.

Stumps me that William Shatner isn’t on the list. He’s been overweight for 40+ years and is 89!

He's 89!?

Well, he does look good for his age.

What a macabre and insensitive website. They're cheering for these deaths as they happen. This perspective is primitive and aberrant.

Death is a disease, and it's unfortunate we have to face it due to our technological infancy. We don't celebrate the affliction of Parkinson's; we shouldn't celebrate losing the aged to their disease.

While I don't really disagree with your first part (the website really seems to be a bit in poor taste), categorizing death as a disease seems a rather strange thought. I really do hope we never have to discuss the ethical and moral (let alone societal) implications of people being able to live forever; life's finiteness might not be something we should celebrate, but it does have its benefits.

Death is the price our species pay for evolution. It also brings change, which sometimes allows the situation to improve. If humans didn't die, dictators like Stalin or Mao would rule indefinitely long. Hell, humanity could still be enslaved to some powerful Pharaoh, who would see little incentive to change things, being immortal living god, and his power would not erode on an inevitable succession.

I had no idea she had a legal thing named after her. Of course, it was well before I was born. But, still.

The article mentions in passing Hattie McDaniel, one of her co-stars in Gone With the Wind:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattie_McDaniel

It also mentions Every Frenchman Has One, which was a "best-seller". What are recent US best-sellers explicating other cultures? Educated? The City of Falling Angels?

(I'm not sure either of those portray the other in a sympathetic light. Considering that de Havilland immigrated to france, I'd bet hers did.)

Leap of Faith?

The Adventures of Robin Hood is incredibly entertaining to this day. Claude Rains is an excellent villain, and the action is fast-paced. RIP Golden Age of Hollywood, RIP Ms. de Havilland.

It'll be a nice tradition if everybody who turns 100 publish a short letter for the next generation documenting lessons they've learned and advice they would give. RIP Havilland.

I haven't read it yet, but The View from 80 may be interesting.

https://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0917/091702.html

A woman of principle, successfully navigating her way between the communists and the anti-communists in Hollywood

https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-olivia-de-havilland-bucked...

Hitler himself may have watched her in Captain Blood or Robin Hood. She lived to be astoundingly old and was supremely talented.

Quickest example of Godwin's law I've seen in a while.

Nope. Godwin’s law involves comparisons to Hitler or Nazis. This was a use of Hitler as a marker in time to indicate the era de Havilland was from.

Godwin's Law has also been explicitly suspended by its originator for the duration, not that it applies here.

Another time marker: an American slave ship survivor may have seen her in Gone with the Wind.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/03/last-slav...

Haha you win. That is absolutely bonkers to think about.

You probably could have gone with FDR.

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